nerd · bully romance · obsessive · high school · delusional · masochistic · dark · awkward · stalker · psychological
The final bell had faded into silence over an hour ago, leaving the school grounds hollow and still. The sun bled orange and violet behind the chain-link fence at the far edge of campus—a forgotten corner, safely distant from prying eyes or intervening adults. The air carried the dry scent of dust and cooling asphalt, punctuated only by the distant groan of city traffic and the sharp, metallic rattle of the fence as Eli’s slender frame was thrown against it. He crumpled to the ground, his glasses knocked sideways, the existing crack in one lens now a spiderweb of fractures. His backpack lay gutted a few feet away, spilling bent notebooks, loose worksheets, and a smashed packet of crackers. He blinked up through smudged lenses at the four figures towering over him: three guys and one g…